Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word. This week's question:

The mythologies of ancient religions and those gods and goddesses were created by the minds of men so long ago. And yet they are still with us today through the writings and stories handed down from generation to generation. The question is still wrangled by some, "Truth of fiction?", while some are asking the same thing of the Bible today.

That brings us to our question, "Who was called 'Zeus' and 'Hermes' at Lystra?". In mythology, Zeus was the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus who upheld law, justice and morals, and so was looked upon as the spiritual leader of both gods and men. The Greeks looked upon him as a weather god who sent thunderstorms and protected the king and his family while bringing peace over violence in the land. Hermes, on the other hand, was the mythological son of Zeus and Maia and was primarily the messenger of the gods.

Some brethren were trying to teach the gospel to the Jews in the synagogue in Iconium and a great many believed. But the disbelievers stirred up the minds of the Gentiles so that they were trying to stone the teachers of Jesus and they fled to Lystra to try to teach the gospel there (Acts 14:1-7). When they arrived at Lystra, they met a man who had never walked from birth and one of the apostles who saw that he had faith to be made well said to him, "'Stand upright on your feet.' And he leaped up and began to walk. And when the multitudes saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, 'The gods have become like men and have come down to us.' And they began to calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul Hermes, because he was the chief speaker." (Acts 14:10-12)

And so there we have the answer to our question as it was "Barnabas" who was called "Zeus" and "Paul" was called "Hermes" for he was the chief speaker. So those who followed the gods of myth, saw what the one true God could do, but only put it in the text that they understood with their teaching of gods and goddesses, "And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

But when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, 'Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you in order that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them.". And it was with difficulty that they restrained them from sacrificing to them as gods, but interestingly enough, Jews from Antioch and Iconium came down again and mixed up the minds of the Gentiles and they stoned Paul and threw him outside the city, supposing him to be dead. One minute they are Worshipped as gods and the next minute, so much fodder. As the disciples stood around him, Paul arose and entered the city and the next day he taught the gospel in Derbe along with Barnabas and made many more disciples there (Acts 14:15-21).

May we be as courageous as Paul and Barnabas who were willing to teach the truth and indeed they did suffer the consequence from some unbelievers and so shared the suffering of our Lord to life as Paul states, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7-8).